Kelly Epperson: Pregnant women shouldn't worry about the swine flu

Thursday

Jul 30, 2009 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2009 at 9:13 AM

I just read this headline: Pregnant women are more vulnerable to the swine flu. I am not making light of the swine flu or any ailment or disease, but jeepers creepers, pregnant women worry enough. They don’t need one more thing to keep them up at night.

Kelly Epperson

I just read this headline: Pregnant women are more vulnerable to the swine flu. I am not making light of the swine flu or any ailment or disease, but jeepers creepers, pregnant women worry enough. They don’t need one more thing to keep them up at night.

Pregnant women are more vulnerable to everything. Adult acne, skin tags, swollen achy body parts, and don’t forget weight gain and mood swings. We don’t need to add to the burden with one more worry. Take it from me, ladies, you are going to be just fine. Now get some rest.

My sons are 15 and 16, so obviously it has been a while since I was pregnant. But I can remember all the emotions and the anxiety. I read all the books and was a model pregnant woman the first time around. I drank milk, didn’t drink alcohol, and I didn’t drink Coke. I repeat: I didn’t drink soda for nine months. Talk about maternal instincts kicking in and putting my unborn child ahead of my needs. Wow.

I didn’t eat fast food. The only burgers I ate came off my own grill. When the doc said I was gaining too much weight, (and he didn’t know I was scarfing down entire pizzas myself), I gave up pasta per doctor’s instructions.

Young expectant mommies want to do everything “right.” Their overriding concern is always the baby. In fact, “The Baby” becomes the focal point of every conversation, every purchase and every thought. The Baby needs coordinating sheets, bumper pad and mobile for the crib. The Baby needs those tiny teeny nail clippers. The Baby needs a college fund.

A woman can be 11 weeks pregnant and already be worried about college. As soon as a woman learns she is expecting, the worry gene takes over. All the, “What if?” questions bounce around in the brain and never leave.

Young gals worry about what kind of mother they will be and what kind of daddy their husband will be. They worry about finances. They worry about going back to work or staying home with The Baby. They worry about worrying. “I shouldn’t stress so much. It’s not good for The Baby.”

They worry about catching a cold and what medicine they can take while pregnant. They worry if they should color their hair, exercise or have sex. They worry about what color to paint the nursery. They worry if their body will ever be the same again. In a nutshell, they worry. A lot.

So when I read scare tactic headlines like that, I just want to say to all the pregnant gals out there, do not worry. You are vulnerable to many things: misplacing your keys, getting up 10 times in the night to pee or getting into fights with your spouse (and maybe even the extended family) about naming rights to The Baby.

I have a hunch you are not going to come down with the swine flu or any other kind of flu or serious sickness. You may have sleepless nights of too much thinking, not enough comfort and too many bathroom trips, but most people’s pregnancies are uneventful. And that is a good thing.
It is good to be informed. It is also good to trust your hunches. That intuition is more right on than we sometimes think. And when you become a mama, you will learn even more about your intuition and how you know what The Baby needs.

So, expectant mothers, relax. And go order yourself a pizza.

Kelly can be reached at kel_epperson@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 2324, Loves Park, IL 61131, or www.whenlifestinks.com.

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